Wigginton, Hertfordshire
| Wigginton | |
|---|---|
 St. Bartholomew's, Wigginton |
|
 Wigginton
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| Wigginton shown within Hertfordshire | |
| Population | 1,483 {2011 Census} |
| OS grid reference | SP939102 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Tring |
| Postcode district | HP23 |
| Dialling code | 01296/01442 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Wigginton (Wigentone - 1086) is a large village and civil parish running north-south and perched at 730 ft (220 m) on the edge of the Chiltern Hills and aside the border with Buckinghamshire. It is part of Dacorum district in the county of Hertfordshire. The nearest towns are Tring in Hertfordshire (1.5m NW) and across the other side of the A41, Chesham (6m S) and Wendover (6m W), both in Buckinghamshire. Adjacent to the main village is the settlement of Wigginton Bottom where a number of farmworkers cottages were built during the 19th century.
There is evidence of prehistoric settlement, possible dating from the Iron Age, in the form of Grim's Ditch, with a short length of the Chilterns Hills section remaining just south of the village settlement.
In the 11th century, Wigginton was under the control of a half-brother of William I, Robert, Count of Mortain. However, in 1086 the Domesday Book indicated that Wigginton had not been gifted to him but was probably acquired by force by Robert from two adjacent estates close to Tring, one of which had previously been in the hands of Edith of Wessex. During the 13th century Wigginton formed part of the estate at Little Gaddesden passing first to the de Broc family and then, through marriage to the de Lucys. After the death of Sir William Lucy in 1466 it was in the ownership of the Corbets for over 130 years. The manor was then the subject of successive legal challenges fought out in the Court of Chancery until it came into the possession of Sir Richard Anderson of the manor of Pendley during the 1650s. Elizabeth Spencer (née Anderson) inherited Wigginton and became the third wife of Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt 1703. The manor remained in the Harcourt family until the 1860s. Colonel Charles Harcourt had died in 1831 leaving the manor to his three daughters, Sarah, Elizabeth and Alice who jointly sold it to Rev. James Williams in 1868. Wigginton Common was enclosed in 1854 and was subsequently incorporated into the Tring Park Estate owned at the time by the Rothschild Family.
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Wikipedia